Beer from unsold food

Heard the one about the Canadian charity, the brewery and the marketing agency? There’s no punchline, just another entry in the food-to-beer trend that’s turning up around the brewing world. You can use all kinds of foods to start the brewing process, and as more people turn their attention to the problem of unsold surplus food in our food system, perhaps inevitably they’re linking the two.

Bread seems to be the most common choice, perhaps because there’s so much extra bread in the system. The Canadian beer is called “Been a Slice.” Atlas Beer Works in Washington, DC has experimented with “Rescue Brews,” including one called “Ugly and Stoned,” while across the Atlantic, Toast Ale donates 100% of its profits to a non-profit that’s working to end the wasting of food (which will mean Toast needs another source of supply, but okay).

Sourcing from their own products in the breakfast aisle, Kelloggs has joined in by brewing a cornflake-yellow “Throw Away IPA.” Meanwhile, some brewers are completing the circle by using the byproducts of brewing as ingredients in new baked goods, going from bread to beer and back again.